Gary Neal Bellenfant

Gary Bellenfant, 1950-2025

Gary Neal Bellenfant passed away peacefully in Abilene, Texas, on Saturday, March 22. He was born on July 15, 1950 in Brawley, Calif., to Earl and Joy Bellenfant.

In a horse training career that spanned sixty years, Gary became one of the cutting horse world’s most successful—and beloved—trainers.

Growing up in southern California, Gary developed a love of horses early in life. At around age 13, a local horseman was driving by and recognized Gary's talent as he was riding in front of his family's home. With his parents' permission, Gary started working for the man after school and on weekends, and around age 15 he quit school to pursue a career in training horses. He worked for various prominent horse trainers in southern California, the most influential being Harold Farren and Ronnie Richards. In the early 1970's he moved to northern California to learn about training reined cow horses, working for Don Murphy and then Bobby Ingersoll. In 1975 he was hired by Starlight Ranch in Oakdale, Calif., to train their cutting horses. The Starlight Ranch sent him and their cutting mare, Docs Date Bar, to Don Dodge in Arizona for six months to hone his craft. Within two years Gary qualified for his first-ever National Cutting Horse Association Futurity Finals.

As his career unfolded, he qualified for the NCHA Futurity Finals 11 more times and won the event in 1995 aboard the famed stallion Peptoboonsmal. The horse went on to become one of the discipline’s most influential sires. Twenty-four years later Gary won the event again on a stallion named Metallic Rey Mink—making him the oldest rider to ever win an NCHA Triple Crown Open Finals and setting a record for the longest span between championships in Triple Crown events.

He also won four other NCHA Triple Crown events in the course of his career, was inducted into the NCHA Open Riders Hall of Fame in 1992 and amassed $3 million in earnings.

Gary’s style of horse training preserved the sport’s early heritage of ranch work. His timing, rhythm and feel created horses that were solid and reliable. He was a staunch advocate of allowing a horse the room to learn for himself. Nearing the end of his life, he said he could sum up and simplify his teaching as: “Be aware.”

“I don’t think we have to do as much as we do to get the job done,” he said. “Everyone’s objective ought to be to refine their way of thinking to get the job done instead of being forceful and harsh.”

For those who knew him well, his thoughtfulness extended beyond his horse training philosophy to his loved ones and friends. He was a devoted husband and father and an engaging storyteller who loved to laugh with friends. Despite the lack of formal education, he was a lifelong learner and voracious reader. Dogs loved him. While he was especially close with his own pets, dogs anywhere he went would gravitate to him—often crawling in his lap, which he happily allowed. He maintained a gruff, authentic cowboy exterior, but cultivated a sharp mind, mirthful sense of humor and tender heart. He was never a contradiction, but almost always a surprise.

After he won the 2019 Futurity, his mentor Buster Welch called Gary “A real horseman and a real good man.”

Gary will be missed for his magical touch with a horse, his sense of humor and the wisdom he brought to those curious enough to seek it out.

His son, Beau, quotes Walt Whitman to describe his father, “Stuffed with the stuff that is coarse, and stuffed with the stuff that is fine.”

Gary is survived by his wife, Gabriel, his former wife, Alycia, their son Beau, his sister Nancy and legions of adoring friends. He is predeceased by his parents as well as two uniquely special dogs, Blue and Beasley.

In lieu of flowers donations may be given in Gary’s honor to NCHA Foundation https://www.nchafoundation.org/givenow

or Ranching Heritage Center; 3121 4th Street, Lubbock, Texas 79409-3200 or at https://ranchingheritage.org/support/donate/